Polymers of unsaturated carboxylic acids and salts thereof are well known. These polymers include homopolymers and copolymers which contain up to 10 weight percent of other copolymerizable monomers. Typical monomers include acrylic acid, methacrylic acid, maleic acid or its anhydride, itaconic acid, and the like. U.S. Pat. No. 2,798,053, for instance, discloses copolymers of acrylic acid with small amounts of polyalkenyl polyether crosslinkers which are gel-like and, especially in the form of their salts, can absorb large quantities of water or solvents with subsequent substantial increase in volume. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,940,351 and 4,062,817 describe polymers of an unsaturated carboxylic acid and at least one acrylic or methacrylic ester wherein the alkyl groups contain 1 to 30 carbon atoms. Such polymers are also effective thickening agents, even in the presence of substantial amounts of inorganic salts. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,915,921 and 4,066,583 disclose preparation of same or similar polymers in similar systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,267,103 discloses polymers of unsaturated carboxylic acids or salts thereof in certain solvents wherein more than 1% by weight of the carboxyl groups are neutralized. Such polymers have molecular weight greater than 500 and up to several million, but generally, in the range of 10,000 to one million. Such polymers are also effective thickening agents.